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And if you're faced with a mountain of shrimp that need deveining it can seem like it takes forever.

You could even end up little cuts and lacerations on your hands having peeled and deveined a couple of kilos of hard-shelled shrimp.

But if you love cooking and eating the sweet tasting flesh of shrimp and prawns than that little black thread has got to go.

There's a couple of ways you traditionally devein shrimp.

You can pull off the head, hope the vein is sticking out, and gently ease it out that way.

The middle part of the tail shell is connected to the vein and sometimes if you twist and pull it, the vein will slide out too...if you're lucky.

By far the most common way is to remove the head and shell around the tail. Run a knife along the back and poke around for a vein that may or may not be visible depending on when the little critters last ate.

There is an easier way....

Enter the shrimp deveiner.

This handy little gadget that works either like a knife or scissors depending on the design can save shellfish lovers a ton of time in the kitchen.

But putting on some is the only real way to protect yourself while doing one of the more dangerous kitchen chores.

Honing your shucking technique, using a towel, and matching the right knife to the type of oyster your opening can all help you shuck more safely and drastically reduce the risk of injury.

But here's the thing:

99 times out of 100 you’ll pop the shell easily. Every now and again though you'll come across a stubborn oyster.

Maybe it’s got a particularly strong abductor muscle....

Or a deep cup where and the hinge is hard to get at. You apply too much pressure, the knife slips, and you end up with a nasty gash.

Compared to other knives, oyster blades aren't all that sharp, but they're still capable of doing some serious damage especially if you're just learning to shuck.

Some designs like the boston stabber and the Frenchman are really pointy and can leave you with a very deep stab wound if the knife slips. Evan the pros wear some sort of shucking glove, guys who been doing it all their lives, and who shuck at intense speeds.

In goes the knife, a quick turn of the wrist, and off pops the shell, releasing the tasty treat inside.

Their secret....Practice and the best oyster knife for the job in their hands.

But I’ve got my own secret:

I suck at shucking and it's a job I don't enjoy all that much.

Despite plenty of practice and thousands of oysters opened, I just don't seem to get any better or more frustratingly quicker at it.

There's nothing more annoying than prodding and poking away at an oyster that won't seem to give an inch.

In fact, if you've got the wrong knife in your hand than opening oysters can seem like pulling teeth.

Shucking and eating oysters at home can save you a small fortune on the prices restaurants charge. But if you want an easy life and a pain free shucking experience than you'll need a sturdy oyster knife.

There's plenty to choose from, all different shapes, sizes, and blade designs. There's such an array on the market that you'll probably be left wondering which one to spend your money on.

Here's the good news:

Any oyster knife your lightly to buy will almost certainly open an oyster. It's just that some do a much better job than others. Some blade designs perform a lot better on certain types and sizes of oysters (more on that in a minute)

You’ll want a blade that lifts the shell easily and with as little fuss possible while keeping the oyster inside intact, especially if you plan serving them in the half shell.

But before we review some of the best oyster knifes on the market, you need to figure out which types of oysters your lightly to be shucking and then pick the right knife to open it.